Helping to Label Emotions

10-11-2009, 08:05 PM

Hello everyone,

I'm interested in ideas that others have found effective in helping to teach our little ones how to label emotions. My daughter is nine months old. So, she is still quite young, and I only recently turned my mind to this, when someone suggested what seems like a very good idea: when my little one seems angry, label it, 'You are angry', as well as help her run hands softly along her arms, or other techniques to help her learn how to cope with, for example, anger. Alternatively, with happy, frustration, sad, etc.

I like the idea of this 'in the moment' opportunity for learning. I have also heard about using picture books during play that depict facial expressoins and label emotions.

Anyone out there care to share what they have found effective to label and help to teach coping with different emotions?

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my children loved those baby books that showed babies' faces with all different emotions. we'd read them over and over again. then, when they were older -3 or 4, we made our own. i took pictures of them making different faces and we laminated them into a book.
we also do a lot of talking about feelings. we talk about how we feel about everything, from food to park visits to school. if we saw someone in a store upset, we'd talk about it. i remember when my oldest was 2, he said to me, 'mom, let's talk about how you are feeling'. so it sinks it very young!

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My eldest has always been very concerned over distressed children in public. Even if we cannot see the crying child he wants me to tell him reasons why he might be crying etc...
It is very sweet in a way. I'm glad that he notices.

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My ds also. In fact he usually hovers around to see if there's anything he can do to help soothe!

On the topic of labelling emotions I found it also useful to label/name my own feelings to him (happy, frustrated, angry, hurting etc) or if the opportunity came up to label other peoples emotions for him. That way he can see the range of ways of expressing different ones.

It was also important for me to make sure that I allowed him his feelings, not necessarily any old way of expressing them but that emotions are natural and normal and not to be suppressed.